Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Treanna Oliveri. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Treanna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, folks often look at a successful business and think it became a success overnight – but that often obscures all the nitty, gritty details of everything that went into the growth phase of your business. We’d love to hear about your scaling story and how you scaled up?

So DWTD started before my husbands morning cup of coffee. The story is as simple as that. I woke up one day and said I am going to start my own event business and I did just that. Divas started as a partnership, but due unforeseen personal reasons, it went to a sole-ownership right after its birth. (Everything happens for a reason, right?) Also while I was trying to create and grow this “baby,” I had an actual baby growing inside of me. (Yes, I got pregnant a month after starting a business. Yes, I need my head examined LOL). Being pregnant for the first time, starting a business and having NO IDEA what I was doing, and still working FT for a corporate job was no easy feat. I cried a lot but pushed myself even harder because this was my dream and what I was meant to do.

Divas started with 2 people. I posted a few times in a Facebook group called Philaqueens and talked about needing event coordinators. After a few hiring spirts, “the diva squad” was created and consists of 17 employees, including a few management positions!

We used to have 300 followers on Instagram and only post photos that were taking on our cellphones (which might I add, I am NOT a good photographer). We now have over 1,300 followers and have truly leveled up our photo game. (S/O to all the amazing photographers who have allowed us to post their work).

I had to start off working events for pennies on the dollar just to build my name. I knew what I was capable of doing and I knew I had the experience on paper, but the world didn’t know that. Divas had only just started so why would people trust me with the biggest day of their life with no weight behind the brand? We opened in April 2021 and had 11 events. In 2022, we had 36 events. In 2023, we had 73 events. As of March 2024, we have over 80 events booked and our books are not closed.

But being a business owner isn’t all sunshine and roses. It is A LOT of sacrifice and hard work. I miss personal events because I have work events. I am also a full time stay at home mom so aside from the naturally crazy work load of owning your own business, I am working at the weirdest hours to work around my son’s nap and bedtime. (Email schedule send is my best friend). There are days when I can’t get anything done professionally, and there are days that I see my son when he wakes up and when he goes down for bed and nothing in between. Unfortunately, these are the less glamorous parts of starting your own business. There will come a day when I can have a more work-life balance BUT I wouldn’t change this for a corporate 9-5 job ever.

I was having a heart to heart with one of my divas, and she said something that hit home for me. “You are building your legacy.” It made me cry. I never thought of it that way. So I continue to push harder and harder so my son (and future children) can be proud of me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

The basics: I am 30 years old. My husband, Lenny, and I got married May 11, 2019. We have a 2 year old son, Lenny, and a cat, Boo. My favorite TV show is Schitts Creek. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and I make our costumes every year. (Halloween is my super bowl. I learned to sew for this reason). Any meal involving carbs is my favorite meal, and I feel dessert should never be skipped.

Divas: We are an event and wedding planning company. We plan all types of social events, such as graduations, birthday parties, dinners, christenings, and showers. We also offer full and partial wedding planning services and various day of coordination packages.

Experience in the field: I graduated from Temple University’s School of Tourism and Hospitality Management (STHM) in 2016 with a Bachelors Degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management with a concentration in Event Leadership. I knew that I wanted to plan events since I was a senior in high school. During my college career, I worked at the Union League of Philadelphia in various departments, and after graduation, I returned as an Assistant Restaurant Manager. I would handle the daily operations of one of their restaurants, Founders, and manage all the A’la Carte Dining Events, including Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas Brunch and Lobster Nights. These events would range from 60 to 950 people. I left the field in 2018, while I was preparing for my wedding. I needed a break from the industry. I was burnt out. I took a corporate 9-5 job and it was the perfect fit while I was getting married, during COVID, pregnancy, and maternity leave. After returning from maternity, I realized I hated what I did (sorry not sorry). I left for a better opportunity that never came to fruition. I think God had a different plan for me. I rode out the summer and enjoyed the quality time with my son and figured I would begin to look for a job in the fall. NOPE. I had weddings every weekend from Labor Day until early December. I figured after the holidays, I would look for a part-time serving job to make some money until the season picked up again. Something that both my dad and husband said to me was “if you want this [divas] to work, you need to be two feet in.” and thats what I did. I took it full time and scared out of my mind. Thankfully, Lenny was (and still is) so supportive of my dream! It wasn’t easy at first but we made it work financially until things leveled out.

Something that sets divas apart from other companies is the love and level of care we have not only for our clients event but for them on a personal level. Our tag line (which started as a joke) is “we are the only best friends you ever need to pay for.” I talk to some of my brides more than my husband (slight kidding here), Even after their event, we remain in contact. Our clients allow us into their lives by trusting us with such important life events! We start off as strangers but leave as friends.

As far as setting myself apart as a leader – I became a manager when I was 22 years old. I had NO IDEA what I was doing. I made mistakes, big and small, but I also made a lasting impact on the restaurant and the people I worked with. I had really crappy bosses from my first job at 16 until my last job before Divas. I’ve also had some really great mentors too. I have taken all the lessons of what to do and what NOT to do and transformed that into my leadership style now. I try to make sure all my girls are properly trained, feel supported, and know that my door is ALWAYS open. I ask for 2 things from my team, transparency and open communication, and in return I will do the same. I feel those are 2 main keys to a great work environment. I want my team to feel valued, have a voice and know that it matters, and most importantly, feel empowered in their position. I always send a text in the group chat after an event weekend and highlight the team members who worked and what a great job they did! If something went wrong, it is discussed in private in a constructive way and how can we move forward and grow from this. People automatically respect their boss because of their title. I feel that I have earned the respect of my team regardless of my title. We are all held to the same standard and I never feel that anything is beneath me. I would never ask my team to do anything I wouldn’t do (except get on a ladder but I will hold the base LOL).

Any advice for managing a team?

Remaining humble. Remember that you started off with a dollar in your pocket and a crazy dream at one point. You had to climb the ladder and face all odds to get where you are. People will respect you for that alone but that isn’t enough to keep their respect.

I am still out there hustling just as much as my team. I don’t feel anything is “beneath me” just because I am the owner and that is reflected to my employees. I used to work in restaurants and be managed by people who never lifted a tray in their life. WHATTT? I speak from experience which I feel is super important.

Some advice: Praise in public, criticize in private. Team building activities are super important. Everyone needs to let their hair down every once in a while and it create more more open lines of communication. TRAINING IS IMPORTANT!! I know it can be expensive but it is a worth while expense. Your team represents you and your brand. Throwing someone to the wolves is only hurting you.

Some things that have helped foster my team:
We do monthly dinners for whoever can make it. We eat, laugh, drink wine and have a great girls night together. The next time we work together, it feels more natural then two random people who never met before being put on the same shift.
We are in the process of setting up lots of trainings. We do a yearly ceremony training to review how to run a several different types of ceremonies (non-denotational, Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, etc). We all took a sewing class earlier this year. (I have had to sew brides dresses, guests dresses, groomsmen’s pants….therefore, it became apparent that it is an important skill to possess). We are all becoming CPR/First Aid certified. We will be taking a floral class and a self defense class at some point this year too.

Invest in your team and they will invest in you.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I am all about the personal touches. We send hand written thank you cards to each client after their events. We send out holiday cards every year. Our newlywed couples get a “happy first holiday season together” card while everyone else gets a different card. We send out one year anniversary cards. We keep in touch on social media to see where they are in their lives. When they move, get a promotion, experience a loss or begin to grow their family, we make sure we reach out. The relationship doesn’t end just because your event has passed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://divaswiththedetailsco.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divaswiththedetails/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DivaswiththeDetails/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/divas-with-the-details
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/divas-with-the-details-philadelphia

Image Credits
headshot & group team photo – Tori Mengel bustling photo – Lauren Allmond Photography veil photo – Simple Hearts Photography assisting ring bearer down the aisle – Ashley Elaine Photography Tre with bride (Anna Wood Schultz) – Cheryl Betances Photography